Naruto Shippuuden 23: A Time to Hate
by rylansato
Summary: The effects of the Kirikizu gas has caused the two clans of the Sunset Country to go at it with one another. Hanako looks for a counteragent, while Seika has met up with his father and tries to figure out how he is involved.
1. Trying to Figure Things Out

Naruto Shippuuden: A Time to Hate

There was a real bite in the air, but Kusa Seika liked watching his exhalations waft through the mostly still air. He and his father had been up before the sun, hiking at least five miles to get to this particular spot. The night before, his father, Sagashi, had told him they would have to get up that early to stake out the spot for themselves ahead of the competition. It never occurred to the thirteen year old that people competed for coveted spots, but it made sense.

His father had rustled him awake and shoved a mug of hot cocoa into his hand. It felt good cupped in both hands, but he couldn't savor it very long because they had to get moving. Seika had put on several layers of clothing, all the while hearing his father bang around, getting the last of the gear ready.

They didn't speak much during the hike; Seika was tired and excited but knew Sagashi preferred not to disturb nature if at all possible.

When they arrived at the site, Sagashi beamed, thrilled to get there ahead of the other area fishers. It was a small, naturally clear semicircle, obscured from the path by trees. A circle of stones in one corner indicated that many fishermen had not only caught their dinner, but had cooked it at that spot. The view from the location was spectacular. Seika was impressed, even though he had grown up appreciating the natural beauty of the Snow Country. He let out a low whistle, earning him a broad smile from his father, although it only lasted a moment. Seika quickly set up folding chairs, assembled their poles and found the container with his father's patented bait. Sagashi, meanwhile, set up the makings for a campfire, something they might need later. He also set up a container for their catch.

They sat side by side, casting and reeling in their lines, neither saying much. As the sun peeked up over the horizon, it painted the lake's surface in dazzling colors. Once the sun cleared the horizon, his father decided it was time for breakfast. He pulled out a few wrapped meal bars, bottles of water and a bunch of grapes. They ate in continued silence, his father very content with the slow passage of time. Seika desperately wished to use the time to start talking, to have a real man to man conversation about the years ahead. He was doing well as a ninja and had become extremely close with his teammates and sensei. His father's missions had captured his imagination, and Seika was beginning to yearn to get those missions himself. Seika considered himself to be a good ninja, and he wanted his father's perspective. But every time Seika wanted to have this conversation, something came up. He had grown frustrated and more than a little angry. Kusa Sagashi, it seemed to the boy, was just not interested in his future.

Watching his line, Seika grew impatient, and he felt himself starting to fidget. If he was going to spend the day in the chill air, he could at least have a decent conversation with his father. But every time he started to talk, Sagashi shushed him. The teen finally gave up and cast at a much faster pace than his father, earning nothing but a scowl.

As the sun neared its zenith, Seika finally felt a tug. It had some force behind it, and he imagined it to be a large fish, easily more than fifteen pounds. He didn't say anything, ready to impress his father with the first catch of the day. Slowly, he reeled in the struggling fish, his pole bending with an impressive arc. Finally, Sagashi noticed Seika's effort and spoke encouragingly, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had grown over the hours.

The line, which he had cast out, was now half the distance of what it originally was, but Seika's reeling had slowed. The fish seemed to be winning the struggle. Unwilling to lose his prize, the teen dug in his heels, gritted his teeth, and yanked a bit on the pole to show dinner who was the boss. The prey responded by yanking back, and it was large enough to gain back some distance.

And that was when Sagashi grabbed the pole, his huge hands covering Seika's. He used several sharp tugs and then reeled in quickly for several feet before tugging again. Ignoring Seika's protests, he took command of the situation. The teen's hands remained trapped. Finally, the catch seemed to give up, and the last few feet were effortless.

_Not again. _Seika thought. His father had dome the same thing to him six years ago, and here he was, taking control of the situation again. He was thirteen and he was going to bring in the fish or not, on his own.

"It's a beauty, Seika." Sagashi said as the sheefish came out of the water. Its silver and blue body wriggled as Seika reached down to remove the hook from its protruding jaw. "Make us a fine dinner."

Seika didn't say a word as he finished removing the hook and dumped the fish into the container. The youth seethed, and didn't say anything to his father for the rest of the day. Not that Sagashi noticed. He never picked up on Seika's anger, or if he did, he never reacted. Once again, his father hadn't let Seika complete a task on his own. He was still taking charge and refusing to let the boy grow up.

Seika swore it was the last time he was going to the Kusa Sagashi control his actions.

The Council had been relocated to an adjacent office building after the riot broke out just hours before. Aoba was impressed by the sounds of activity. Maybe being forced to move had finally shaken the people out of their torpor. At first, he thought that they would remain paralyzed with inaction. Now, aides of both the Beigun and Shokei clans were scurrying between a set of rooms, many carrying tools and other equipment. They were clearly trying to turn these rooms into a functional seat of government. What concerned the Jonin though was that only the Shokei councilors were present in this room.

He stepped forward making his presence known. Mokai Rodak noticed him first and came gliding over, a small smile on her face.

"Aoba-san, you've come just in time."

"Have I?"

"Yes." She paused, gesturing with a sweep of her arm to take in the entire room. "The Beigun have chosen to set up a separate facility until things can be calmed down."

Aoba was alarmed to see the Council, whose members he tried to protect from the spread of the contagion, suddenly split along racial lines.

"Why is this better?" He asked.

"We've lost too much time to petty bickering." Rodak replied. "We feel we can split the country in tow, each of us concentrating on relief efforts for our respective groups."

While the woman had a point, the conclusion was not one that Aoba agreed with. "That may sound like a good plan to you." He said in a measured tone. "I, though, do not think it helps anyone in the long term."

"We argued about it and then decided to stop arguing. It's what our ancestors did."

"Yes, stopped arguing to unite a country. Now you've stopped arguing and have effectively divided it." He keenly felt the need for Yukino, who was still recovering from injuries sustained during the riot that had forced the Council to relocate. If the Council was split, at least Aoba would have someone he could trust in the other room.

"And what have you accomplished since this 'enlightened' plan of yours?"

Rodak's smile faded. "We're still rebuilding our communications network so we can track the problems and communicate with peace officers in the afflicted areas."

In other words, Aoba concluded, nothing had changed. No one seemed to be working with any sense of urgency while the contagion spread across the country. He was tempted to seek out the Beigun, but suspected they would be in much the same situation.

Suddenly, he heard his radio activate by the sound of white noise.

"Aoba-sensei, this is Hanako."

"Go ahead." Aoba said.

"Yukino is awake but she is certain that something has happened to Satori. We can't seem to reach him or Seika on the radios."

"It must be a sign that Seika found his father. I really can't spare anyone to go find them. We'll do our best to get to them as soon as we can. Aoba out."

Aoba sighed as he released the button on his radio. He didn't want to put Satori at the end of the priority list but he didn't really have a choice. He'd have to send two people to find him and that would leave the third by themselves to handle the crowd. He could go himself but he was needed here. Though he could send Yukino and somebody to head over to find them.

He pressed his radio activation button. "Junshin, how are things out there? Do you think you can spare Kaida?"

Uzuki Hanako felt that she had a purpose again. Over the last few days, she had studied the Sunset Country problem to find out what had turned a cure for a genetic disorder into a poison. She had finally figured out the mystery and could go to work on a solution. Yukino had awaked, yelling out Satori's name. She had gotten the pregnant ninja to calm down a bit to gather herself.

She pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and ran a series of studies on the brain chemistry of the five test subjects. They had spent nearly a year in quarantine, waiting to see if the cure provided by Konoha Medical would change their genetic codes back to normal. Every thing seemed to check out until one, Hyosetsu, killed Zensin and fled the building, breaking quarantine and unleashing the problem on an unsuspecting country.

When the native plant kirikizu's natural gases were filtered from the blood, the body chemistry began a return to normal. But normal also meant that both clans' violent tendencies reasserted themselves. The Kirikizu gas had actually worked like a narcotic, lulling the people into a peaceful frame of mind and allowing the two clans to coexist in harmony.

She watched the microbes under a microscope. She then noticed something she hadn't seen before. With a contented sigh, she straightened up and began taking notes.

Yukino was leaning against a wall, watching Hanako work. She forced herself to drink the last of her water, and concentrated all her skills on finding her link with Satori. She wasn't telepathic or anything but her bond with Satori was strong enough always to be there. She discovered almost immediately after they met that they shared this bond, the knowledge scared her. No one had ever been able to achieve that level of intimacy with her before. Since then, though, the bond had been a constant source of comfort. Now she found it with little effort: a golden thread, glowing amid the shadows of her mind. He was alive, and that was enough for her. For now.


	2. Sagashi and Seika

Kusa Sagashi wiped the dirt from his hands. He didn't move with the same sureness Seika always remembered. His father wore a coat similar to Seika's but slightly different. His hands were bare for reasons unknown to Seika. They were chafed and red from the cold, and scarred. Definitely the worse for wear, Seika mused, watching without lowering his guard.

"I said I'm listening." Seika said.

Sagashi looked over at him, pain in his eyes, something Seika had not seen in his father since the one woman whose love they had shared, Seika's mother, Shirase, had died.

"You can put your weapon down." Sagashi said.

"Right now, I can't trust you."

"Your own father?"

"Especially him." Seika replied.

Sagashi looked hurt for a moment but let it pass. "I thought we tore that wall down a long time ago. I thought this was all past us."

"Funny thing about walls," his son said. "You can build them, tear them down and rebuild them all over again."

"Is that what this is all about? My not being in touch. I've never been good about that."

"No, this is all about you leaving the scene of a crime and allowing yourself to become a fugitive. You need to come in and explain yourself."

Sagashi gestured with his hands, palms up. "Can I at least put some gloves on? It's colder than a Snow ninja's smile."

Seika gestured with his head. His father gingerly reached into his coat pockets, pulled out black gloves and put them on. He rubbed his hands, trying to generate some friction to warm them faster. Seika just stood there sorting through the feelings that were conflicting in his heart and his head. While they had this reunion, a country was falling apart and he had to learn what role his father had played. Mixed in with it all was the dreaded feeling of guilt by association, and it nagged at him, fueling the anger he arely kept under control.

"Much better, thanks, son."

"Let's keep this professional." Seika said.

"Is the wall really that high and thick?" Sagashi asked.

Seika didn't reply, deciding to wait his father out. Get him to talk. The ANBU had taught him this trick some time back, and he liked using it. In the past he would have threatened or intimidated his subject, using his physique to good advantage.

Sagashi, no slouch as a negotiator, tried to wait him out too. Both must have felt the pressure of time, but Sagashi seemed to think they both needed to settle their personal issues first. Seika shifted his feet, sensing the cold seeping through his boots. He glanced up and saw the coming twilight. When the sun set, it was going to be a lot more uncomfortable standing there.

Finally, Sagashi broke the silence. "Let's get out of the cold."

Yukino stood with Hanako, a bit anxious. Hanako felt bad for Yukino, hell she felt bad not being able to help find Satori. She had her own work to do if she was going to figure this thing out. They were incredibly short handed when it came to fighting off an entire country. Suddenly, Kaida came walking through the door.

"Kaida, I thought that Aoba-sensei couldn't spare anyone." Hanako said.

"Aoba used his Kage Bunshins to assist Junshin and Gintokin."

Hanako put her hand to her head. "Tch, why didn't I think of using Kage Bunshin to help."

Kaida turned her attention to Yukino. "Come on, Yukino-san, we're going to go find Satori."

Yukino nodded as the two of them left. Hanako made the hand seal to create clones of herself.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu." (Shadow Clone Technique)

With about ten clones appearing, Hanako smiled. "Ah, this should help me out a lot."

"How'd you know where to find me?" Sagashi finally asked.

"Someone was defusing things around the country when no one else seemed capable. We didn't need Shikamaru to figure out it had to be you."

"And here?"

"You seemed to stop following Hyosetsu; you followed the main path of the contagion. As I saw it head north, it became apparent you were heading for familiar climates."

Sagashi nodded, a smile of approval on his features. "I lost Hyosetsu. And I bet you did too."

"We were never looking for Hyosetsu, to be honest. What do you want my help for?"

"The outbreaks of violence continue in this direction. Hyosetsu must also be in this direction, spreading it. He's my target." Sagashi exhaled heavily, and then glanced at his son. "How much do you understand about what is happening to these people?"

Seika frowned for a moment, then began to summarize their mission. "The Beigun and Shokei achieved unprecedented cooperation while colonizing this country. In turn, something native to this country changed them and they found themselves dying at a younger age with each passing generation."

"Good." Sagashi said, nodding in approval. "And you know I was sent here by the elders to study the scientists reports."

"Why would the elders send you?"

Sagashi evaded the question and continued speaking. "The Beigun and Shokei scientists did their work independently of one another, and the chief medic here missed something I caught when reviewing the data."

Seika considered just how brilliant his father must be to do all the things he had done over the years. His accomplishments bordered on the legendary, but, prideful as he could be, he rarely spoke of them to his son. In fact, although he had been the sole survivor of a cloud attack near the fire border, Sagashi never told Seika about the incident, nor the of the months he spent recovering and the torturous hours of physical therapy. Seika only found out about when he was talking to the Third Hokage. Seika was not at all surprised it was his father who figured out the source of the problem in the Sunset Country.

"You were the one who figured out it was the Kirikizu gas that affected the genes?"

Sagashi shook his head. "No, the people figured that out on their own. It as the other effect."

Seika blinked in surprise. "What other effect?"

Now Sagashi blinked in surprise. "Hasn't your Uzuki Hanako figured this out yet?"

"If she has, then I don't know about it. After all, I've been chasing you around this country."

Sagashi nodded at that and continued. "Okay, so maybe you don't know. I can only hope that she figured it out."

"Figured out what?"

"Didn't you ever wonder how two incredibly belligerent clans could possibly bury the hatchet in the ground and not in each other's skulls?"

"I read reports. They both decided to use the Sunset Country as a new starting point."

"Nice words, but that came months after both races tried to claim the country for themselves. They did such a great job selling themselves as enlightened; Konoha never really questioned it."

"Question what?"

"Not only did the gas shorten their lives, but it drugged them somehow. I'm guessing it affected their brain chemistry and effectively lobotomized them."

Seika was stunned at the revelation. Never once did he guess anything close to this. A country full of drugged people, suddenly without the drug. The withdrawal symptoms alone must be horrendous.

"And they never figured this out during the one year quarantine?" Seika asked.

"All the doctors saw was that these peaceful people were acting a little less docile. But they certainly weren't aggressive, let alone violent. As the serum we devised worked its way through their systems, it took time before we figured out the right dosage. We kept a close watch, but it wasn't until they were back home that problems manifested themselves."

Sagashi looked less smug, definitely uncomfortable with the notion of Konoha fallacy.

"And Hyosetsu was the first to experience the withdrawal?"

"So it seems. Without the gas in their body, their natural tendencies reassert themselves. Both clans are violent, aggressive people, absolutely no fun to deal with."

Seika was following the natural progression and saw where this was going. He didn't need to think hard to understand what happened next. "And these are adults who have never had to deal with these emotions before."

"So Hyosetsu couldn't control himself and struck out at Zensin."

"He broke the quarantine, and spread the 'cure' like a virus. And you've been following him."

"Of the five test subjects, Hyosetsu reacted first. When we find him, we can have Hanako look over and figure out why. I'm betting she's already looked over the others so his results should be useful."

"You saw the trend and extrapolated there might be a problem. Didn't you say anything?"

"Of course I spoke up." His father snapped. "I made it clear to Konoha Medical that I thought there was a problem, but the doctors disagreed with me, so I was outvoted."

Sagashi fell silent for a moment, brooding over the defeat. Had things gone differently, needless bloodshed would have been prevented.

Seika waited him out. He watched the emotions play out in his father's eyes. Sagashi's jaw was set but his feelings of failure were evident in his bloodshot eyes.

"As soon as Hyosetsu killed Zensin, I knew in my gut that my suspicions were right. I'm a tactician; I always think four moves ahead. I knew if he got loose, there was a good chance all these people would be infected. I had to contain it and him."

"So you ran."

"I pursued him, but he had already infected some people. He was faster and younger than me, so he got away."

Seika considered all this, accepted it for the truth and tried to think ahead. How do you stop people from acting naturally?"

"I began trying to outrace the virus and catch Hyosetsu. Along the way I tried to stop things from getting out of hand."

"You were the country's guardian angel, weren't you?" Even Seika winced at the bitterness in his voice.

"This is my mess. I'm responsible. I suspected something was going to happen but never insisted on the proper security. Some tactician."

Seika laughed coldly. "Then you'll be happy to know that you're not being blamed. All of Konoha is on the hook for this."

Sagashi didn't laugh back. He was neither relieved nor pleased by the notion.

"Of course they are, and they should be. The studies were flawed, the research incomplete. They never should have come back here. I should have found a way to stop it. That's my job, after all, to stop things from getting worse. But this time, I couldn't do it."

They were approaching the town of Hachi. Seika saw the lights of houses and not the lights of flames. That pleased him but he wondered how his team could contain this before Hanako could do her part?

"Don't you see, Seika? I have to fix this. And with you at my side, we can be even more effective. We can complete this together and save the people from themselves."

Seika wasn't sure if his father was cracking under the strain, but he had never heard Sagashi pleading before. He wasn't surprised the request came, and had even anticipated it a bit.

"I'm responsible for so much that has gone wrong, and it is my job to fix it. Look, there're only so many undercover things I can do. If I'm at all under suspicion, you can get me into places. We can make a difference."

There it was. In a nutshell, the very essence of a Konoha ninja's job. Making a difference either thorugh discovery or protection, but making the world a better place to be. Seika could certainly help his father and he was surprised to discover that deep down there was a part of him that actually wanted to help.

"What do you say, son?" Sagashi asked.


	3. Satori's Recovery

The city's flames had long since been extinguished by the time Yukino and Kaida arrived. The odor of charred building materials hung thickly in the air. Whatever was used to construct homes anywhere, the smell of destruction seemed pretty much the same.

People, despite the late hour and the chill in the air, were cordoned off behind barricades, and the local peace officers were assessing the damage. From what Kaida heard from the officers, about a quarter of the city had been destroyed. The rebuilding would take months. They both looked around for the hospital and found it, what remained of it. The two ninjas ran over to it and just stood there in awe.

"Let's get started." Yukino said.

The two started digging through the rubble. As the time passed, their pace at finding Satori quickened. After almost an hour of searching they found the remains of a destroyed bed. They both pulled away the debris to see Satori lying on top of a patient as if he was protecting him. Yukino's hand went to Satori's neck to feel for a pulse and found a faint one. The patient was alive as well. Yukino pulled the unconscious ninja to his feet and leaned him against herself. Kaida did the same with the patient but didn't have to hold him long because a group of nurses came up and took the patient away.

Yukino pressed a button on her collar. "Yukino to Aoba-sensei. We got Satori. We're on our way back to Hanako's position."

"Acknowledged. Keep me updated." Aoba replied.

They turned to leave but in their way was people, lots of angry people. Another mob was on its way, having somehow broken through the barricade. Kaida began scanning the immediate area and started pointing. Kaida tightened her grip on her two chain scythes. She hoped that she didn't have to use it but she would if she had to.

More people emerged from around the corner, and Kaida saw they were armed. In fact, they were fairly well equipped, almost as if someone had organized them into a fighting force. Several brandished knives, a few seemed to have kunai like weapons and others had sharpened pikes made from, it seemed, like tree limbs. They were not here to protest Konoha's presence; they were here only for violence.

As this was going on, Satori regained consciousness. Yukino was slightly surprised.

"Satori. You're awake."

He slightly smiled. "Like I'm going to miss out on a fight."

Kaida walked towards the mob, positioning herself between the mob and Yukino and Satori. Their safety was top priority at the moment.

Several in the front pointed and shouted as they spotted her. Kaida intentionally made herself the target, walking at a steady pace until she reached a spot less than ten meters from the people in front.

"Can I convince you to go home and let us fix what's going on here?" Kaida asked.

"Sabotage is more like it! You've poisoned the people. You killed Hyosetsu, and now you want to take the rest of us." One said.

"Konoha bitch!"

"Really," Kaida said, keeping her tone light even as her body tensed. "Name-calling will not get you your water any faster. If you don't disperse. We will do anything to protect ourselves."

"You can take down a few of us, but we outnumber you!" One yelled.

"Have it your way." Kaida said. She launched her weapon out, wrapped it around the leg of one and pulled on it, tripping the man.

Others saw this as their chance and rushed her. They got close, closer than Kaida would've liked, but then an echoing voice came from behind her.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu."

In a giant cloud of smoke, a giant panther like feline appeared. It was Satori's giant summoning, Sorasumaru.

He released a loud roar directed at the mob. Finally, people got the idea that scattering and retreating might be the best thing to do.

Some, though, clearly wanted a fight. They charged forward. Kaida was able to take them down. Satori created a few clones to help with the people who decided to stay. One woman reared back and hurled her sharpened branch at Yukino, who was defending herself against a man.

The wet sound the spike made as it pierced someone's abdomen could be heard from Kaida's position. Kaida turned around and saw that Satori had taken the spear instead of Yukino. Kaida's heart jumped into her throat but she relaxed when Satori disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"That's why I hate shadow clones sometimes." She said to herself.

Someone tackled Yukino from behind. She was able to turn around and wrestle with her Shokei attacker, a burly male who was fighting in a frenzied way. Satori came running in and slammed his right foot into the head of the attacker knocking him off balance and giving Yukino the edge she needed to break free. Yukino took out another attacker and Sorasumaru sent out a shockwave of nothing but air to knock the attackers off their feet. Finally the attackers retreated.

"Thanks for your help, Sorasumaru." Satori said.

"No problem, boss." He said before disappearing.

Once the fighting stopped the Konoha ninjas relaxed a bit. Satori and Yukino hugged each other tightly.

"I've been worried about you." Yukino said.

"You were the one that kept me alive. All I thought about when the building came crashing down was you." Satori said.

Yukino placed her hands on Satori's cheeks and then kissed him. They broke their kiss when a transmission came in on Kaida's radio.

"Kaida here."

"Kaida, I need you all back here on the double. Junshin and Gintokin will eventually be overrun. They need more help."

"We're on our way."

"Junshin and Gintokin need our help. The mob on their end is getting out of hand."

Yukino and Satori nodded. The three of them leapt away to go help their friends.

Aoba threw himself over a metallic planter, landing behind it and waiting for the next volley. Sure enough, a hail of stones rained down around him, but none came close to hitting him. He risked looking over the top of the planter and saw Junshin standing up, hiding behind a tall, thick tree. They made eye contact, reassuring each other they were fine.

Since Aoba had begun shuffling back and forth between the Council rooms, he had heard angry changes and shouts from the people in the streets. They were blaming Konoha and the Council for their lot in life. There were scuffles and occasionally rocks were tossed.

By this time, though, they had figured out Aoba was making regular trips between portions of the building and they were ready. No sooner he had exposed himself in the courtyard than rocks began flying over the low iron fence. The first struck his shoulder, and the Jonin dove for cover.

And now he felt stupid and angry, hiding from a rock throwing crowd.

Junshin gestured to catch Aoba's attention and then made a show using his kunai to cut down the mob. Aoba gave the idea consideration, hoping it might scare them off. He was afraid it could just as easily incite them to further violence. Before he could make a decision, a giant fireball flew by, causing the first row of people to duck. As expected, some scattered, but a few threw more rocks. A second fireball flew forward and more people ducked down and created a gap in the center of the mob.

"Go home!"

Aoba glanced over his shoulder and saw Satori, Yukino and Kaida standing there, weapons in hand and ready to take on the crowd. Their fearless stances made the crowd hesitate. Gintokin emerged from his hiding spot and took up a position at their right, with his sword raised. Junshin did the same on the left. People finally began to back away, drifting off in small clusters.

Now the lead Jonin was feeling a bit foolish, crouching on the grass.

"Excellent timing, Satori." He admitted.

Aoba walked back inside the Beigun base, he watched Chikaku wave away a steaming pot.

"Ah, Aoba. Whatever strain he felt certainly did not show on his features. If anything, he seemed particularly pleased.

"Chikaku, how go things here?"

"Well enough, I suppose. Got everything wired up, getting identical reports from all over the place. I'd say we're ready to start handling the problem."

"And how do you propose to do that?"

"First, we must protect the general populace. Your people have been most kind in helping us."

"How can you keep people from fighting?"

"That's a very good question. We don't have an immediate answer."

Aoba saw that behind the confidence was uncertainty. It was all there in the man's eyes. And he was too proud to ask for help. At least Kazuko had the sense to admit he was in over his head.

As Aoba bit back the comment, Chikaku said, "One thing we can do is lodge the appropriate diplomatic complaints with Konoha. Clearly, they were at fault for what has befallen this country. They will need to send in more support until the problem is resolved."

You do realize that what you're asking for is most likely weeks away from arriving. We have our own issues to deal with and we can't just drop everything to deal with this problem. Be realistic, what would happen in the weeks between now and when aid does arrive?"

"Won't you help keep the peace?"

"We can't stay here indefinitely." Aoba said flatly.

"Your government is at fault, Aoba…" Chikaku began.

"QUIET! I am tired of the Council pointing its finger at the very body it asked for help and now trying to repudiate."

"Trust me; we are going to file a formal complaint concerning the medial malfeasance that has taken place." Aoba saw that Chikaku was using bluster to hide his fear, and wanted to rid himself of the man's company. Duty, however, demanded he stay.

"Accidents happen, Chikaku. You're starting to sound like one of the protesters, not a leader of this country."

"Does that mean I cannot protest actions taken against this country? I don't recall my office being denied that privilege."

Aoba grew concerned, wondering if the disease had finally found its way to the Council.

"Of course you can protest. It's a basic right. But Chikaku, as a leader of the people you need to set priorities. What is the Council doing now to help?

The councilor fell silent at the question.


	4. Moral Dilemma

Hanako was working with her clones looking over the results of an experiment.

"Damn it." She said. "This is the eleventh test that has failed."

"Don't worry, we'll get it." One of her clones said. "Let's work through it. Maybe there's something you missed."

"We know the gas affected not only their blood and chromosomes, but also their brain chemistry…" She began.

"How has it affected the serotonin levels?" Another clone asked.

It was weird for her to have conversations like this with her clones because they knew what she knew. It wouldn't be until they disappeared was when she'd know all the information they gathered.

"Good question. They have elevated levels of serotonin compared with baseline readings for both clans."

The clone studied the readout and nodded. "Three times higher, at least from this study."

"The elevated levels also seem to have worked with the kirikizu to alter the pineal hormones. Their melatonin has changed, and that accelerated not only their body clocks but their entire life cycle."

"Fascinating." she said, studying another readout. "So these people have normally very low levels of serotonin and the gas forced their bodies to produce higher amounts, effectively drugging them."

"Right. And I've been trying to find something to regulate the levels without harming the rest of their brain chemistry. It's all very complex and still not entirely understood."

She reviewed the results of tests ten and eleven, looking to see what changes to make for the next round.

"The uptake inhibitors seem to be withered." The clone noted, pointing to a close up of the Beigun neurons.

"I saw that too." Hanako said. "That helps explain why the serotonin levels grew over time."

"If we could decrease their production, it might lower the serotonin." The clone said. "The Shokei subjects show below normal amounts of serotonin."

"I saw that once I knew where to look." Hanako said. "It seemed to amplify their aggressive tendencies."

"So the gas increased serotonin output, dampened the aggression, and also threw the melatonin levels off the charts, and now we're trying to rebalance the brain." The clone said.

Hanako nodded and began looking at ways to filter the gas from the brain by using some naturally produced chemical. She had abandoned that line of research after the fifth try but thought it might be worth another look.

"Sulfur." The clone said.

"What about it?"

"The two clans barely produce any. If we can naturally stimulate its production, it would clog the receptors."

"And the serotonin levels wouldn't spike, which in turn would leave the melatonin unaffected." Hanako said.

"The people would stop aging prematurely, but they would regain their normal levels of serotonin."

Hanako nodded in agreement. "But that would return them to their natural behavior, right?"

She looked to her clone, thankful for the insight. She now had new avenues to explore, but new problems to consider. "If we leave them aggressive, the fighting below won't stop. They'll just live longer, with more opportunities to hurt their neighbors."

The Hanako clone nodded slowly, the implications now settling in her mind. Her posture changed, reflecting the gravity of the situation.

"Let us work on this some more, and if we're right. I'll tell Aoba we have something."

The clone nodded and then left her side. Hanako was grateful, because she really didn't like the direction her research was taking her.

Sometime later, Hanako refined her research, fighting the excitement she felt welling up within her. She may have done it, may have actually found the cause of the problem and a useful solution. Her exultations were tempered, though, by serious questions and doubts.

As she wrestled with her thoughts and emotions, Hanako completed recording her research into a scroll and decided she needed to discuss her findings privately with Aoba. Would he be willing to leave the fractious Council, or would she have to head down there for the conversation? She'd probably have to head there.

Shortly later, she arrived to Aoba's position and the two of them were alone in a room.

"So, what is the news you have for me?" Aoba asked.

"I understand what happened to the people and how to undo it."

He raised an eyebrow that appeared overtop of his sunglasses, and looked inquiringly at her. She opened her scroll and handed it to him.

"I'll give you a crash course in brain chemistry to help explain." She said. "The Kirikizu gas not only got into their blood stream, but into their brains, forcing them to pump out excessive amounts of serotonin, which depressed their aggressive tendencies. The excess serotonin in turn affected the production of melatonin, which for both races meant their life cycles were shortened. Konoha determined how to screen out the gas from their bloodstream, putting these people back on track for a normal life span. The catch is you also return these people to a natural state of aggression. I've come up with something that we can introduce say into the air through plant life, just like the kirikizu. If it works, I can suppress some of the serotonin production without changing the melatonin levels. I'd effectively be allowing them to live their normal lives but drugging them at lower dosages."

Aoba studied the information on the scroll. There was a gravity settling over him, one she appreciated given the subject.

"How certain are you that this new breed of plant will do the job?"

"One of my clones is testing the theory now. It looks promising."

"Hanako, you may have saved a country today."

"Have I?" She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and refused to meet his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

She looked up sharply, feeling the intensity of her feelings on her face, in her eyes. "Aoba-sensei, these people are finally in their natural, un-drugged state. This is the way nature meant them to be. What I'm doing is effectively exchanging one drug for another. No one would want an entire country permanently on medication. I've been looking into this from a sociological viewpoint as well. Do you know why every building is a drab? The gas not only robbed them of their aggression but it also dulled their creativity. What I don't know right now is how much of that creativity I'd be keeping from them even at lower dosages."

Aoba was once more filled with tension, and she felt a flash of guilt for making him feel that way. "Unchecked, they're likely to kill each other before they can get a grip on their feelings. They don't have time to wait for a prophet to rise up and get through to them. If you can give them their lost years and make them see some reason, then that is for the best."

"Is it? Or is it just convenient for the people. Stay drugged, you'll live longer."

"I see the moral dilemma here, Hanako." He said. "But what you don't see are the lost lives and destroyed property. If we have something that can help them, then we should use it."

"Aoba-sensei, this isn't a temporary cure that we can remove later when we have time to prepare them. Once we seed this around the country, there's going to be little chance of eradicating it. Same with the kirikizu."

They both fell silent, each with their own thoughts.

"And are we two wise enough to decide the fate of a country?" She asked quietly.

"No, and it will not fall to just you and me. It hasn't in the past nor will it today."

"The line keeps appearing and every time we skirt it, it brings us closer to the time we trip on it and really foul things up for someone." She tucked her hair behind her hears with both hands, steadying herself and ordering her thoughts. Then she adjusted her position and gave him a wan smile. "It's not getting any easier, is it?"

Aoba gave her a tight smile in return and nodded once. "I know what you mean. We're taught that with experience should come wisdom and you think the solutions will more easily present themselves."

"And they don't, do they?"

"Not always."

"Is it me or is the world growing more complex?"

"With every new person we meet." Aoba told his friend. "The odds for confrontation grow and the neighborhood gets a little more crowded, a little more complex. That's why it's not getting any easier."

"And we face the unexpected time and again." Hanako added glumly.

He gave a kinder smile than before, saying, "Well, I for one wouldn't want to get bored." Aoba leaned against the wall. "If we were to introduce this new drug, how long before things calm down?"

"I'd guess the first effects would be noticeable within hours as the body absorbs and processes the new element. The plants would take longer to hold in some locations. And we're still modeling how the kirikizu and the new plants would interact. It's a fragile ecosystem we're toying with."

"All right, and it will take you some time to make enough to spread among the people. When will the tests be complete?"

"Another hour at least."

"You're right, this is too large an issue for us to decide. I'll convene everyone in three hours. That should give you time to analyze everything and be prepared to give us the facts."

She looked into his eyes. "Will you be open to a debate?"

"Within reason." He responded steadily. "I need my team to give me their unvarnished opinion. But trust me, the final decision and responsibility will remain with me."

"What if we don't find Seika by then?"

"We can only wait so long. I have to trust that he is still alive and dealing with his father. I would like his counsel but we need decisions sooner rather than later. Should this fail, Tsunade-sama will have my head."

"Think the elders are still going after you?"

"I honestly haven't thought about it of late, Hanako. They would probably prefer my head on their wall instead of on my shoulders, but probably no more than before that mimic ninja."

"Fine with me, I think it looks just right where it is."

"Why, thank you." He said, his tone losing some of its severity.

"Three hours." She said, seriousness creeping back into her voice. Walking out of the room, she thought about the consequences of her research and grew concerned all over again.


	5. Father and Son

The buildings were boxy and fairly uniform in construction, like so much else in this country. Seika was beginning to think that one architect had designed the entire country. He noticed that they were approaching another town.

"Why here?" He asked. "Have you picked up on Hyosetsu?"

Ignoring his son, Sagashi said. "This city is being evacuated. There has to be a reason and we can help."

"So that's it." Seika said, some anger unwillingly creeping into his voice again. "We just run around this country, stopping off to fight the good fight? What does that accomplish?"

"It keeps them alive until a cure is found." Sagashi said loudly.

"I thought your goal was to find Hyosetsu and study him." Seika snapped.

"It is, but I'll be damned if we let people suffer when we can help."

"Don't you think we'd be more effective working my team?"

"No."

"No?"

"Aoba would slap the chains on me the minute I'm in sight. How can I fix things, or find Hyosetsu if I'm in chains?"

"Then you don't know him at all. He'd hear you out before putting the chains on you. And I'd pick up the hunt."

Sagashi shook his head. "And I'd still be out of the picture, my experience wasted."

"Your experience? What does that have to do with finding Hyosetsu? You're a tactician."

"Son, I've saved countless lives since I've been here. What have you done? You've hunted me down. Well congratulations, you've found me. Has that saved anyone?"

Seika fumed, trying to avoid getting caught up in age old arguments, the same ones that had never been resolved in his youth. He didn't want to try and finish them now, it wasn't the time.

"Why are you here?"

His father's question was blunt and direct. Seika considered several ways to answer it.

"The Sunset country is a powderkeg." He replied.

"No, that's why Tsunade sent you here. You. Here. Right now."

"Because I was assigned to find you."

"No, that's why Aoba sent you here. But you're here next to me. Why?"

Seika felt the anger bubble up, and he was shouting before he knew it. "Because you're my father, damn it. If I was anything first, I was a dutiful son. And I'm back to playing that role again."

"And you hate it."

"Duty is supposed to go both ways." Seika said, some pain unexpectedly creeping into his voice. "I was the good son. Making good grades at the academy, good friends, taking care of the house. Visiting her grave. But you never reciprocated."

The silence hung heavily over the two men. Neither looked at the other; instead they watched the town's white lights twinkle as they approached.

"How were the doctor's in Konoha to know about this result? Nothing in the simulations or tests indicated the gas was at work on the brain. Removed from their natural environment, maybe it would have worn off." Seika finally said, clearly not wanting the argument to escalate.

"Answer me." Seika said through clenched teeth.

"No." Sagashi said. "You're too tired and angry. You want to get into it, want to hear why I left? Why I don't go and tend her grave? Fine. When this is done and we're on our way back, we can hash it out man to man. But not here and not now. We have a man that's spreading this thing, and sooner or later, he's going to go past the point of no return."

"Meaning?" The anger remained in his voice, but Seika was forcing himself to agree with his father and stick to the mission. Any discussion of abandonment could wait.

"Without a cure, too much of the country will be infected, with no hope of maintaining order, let alone vital services. You don't have the man power to settle fights, fix things and protect the weak. I've been giving this thought and will bet that you get to the fifty-eight to sixty-two percent infected rate and this country is a permanent quarantine."

The death sentence hung in the air. Seika was impressed by his father's reasoning and couldn't argue with the conclusion.

"It's in their blood, their genes. This wasn't going to vanish even in a year." Seika was content to play the game and avoid ripping old wounds any wider.

"The doctors said they knew what to do." Sagashi said. "They were wrong. And I have to fix it."

"Why you? You're not a doctor."

"Because that's what I do." Sagashi said with an edge to his voice. "Every time Konoha gets into trouble, I'm called in to strategize and get them out of it. Like the time that half Uchiha boy almost assassinated the Raikage. That overbearing dark skinned kage was so infuriated later on, I was sent to Hidden Cloud to talk him out of attacking Konoha."

"And how do you propose to strategize two races out of their very nature? Quarantine them like mentioned?"

Sagashi fumed, but had no answer.

"You can't fix it with quarantine." Seika said with equal bluntness. "They'll just kill each other. You can't fix it, but you certainly helped create the mess. You helped it along, you nurtured it, and then you were here to unleash it on an unprepared country."

"I didn't declare them fit." Sagashi said, his voice suddenly weak. The sudden change in tone startled his son.

"No, but you suspected something was up and let those five come back home, didn't you?"

Sagashi blinked once. "Yes."

There was silence, and Seika hoped his father was finally going to listen to reason. He agreed that his father had indeed saved lives, but he felt the tug of duty. Seika truly believed that only through a united effort, could a solution be found and implemented.

As they entered the town, Sagashi's right hand was engulfed in a small cloud of smoke and then quickly swung it out of the cloud and smashed it into his son's throat. The same hand then grabbed Seika's head and then slammed it into his knee. Stunned, Seika fought back weakly. His head was pounded a second time against his father's knee and his vision started to go black. Just as he lost consciousness, Seika felt his father's hand work its way onto his neck. Then there was nothing.

Sagashi removed Seika's neck radio, dropped it to the ground and destroyed it with his boot heel. Looking over at his son, lying on the ground, Sagashi felt nothing. The emptiness gnawed at him, but he ignored it. He sat down next to his son and waited for him to wake up and then, with no one to call for help, father and son would go out and continue to make things right.


	6. Hyosetsu

Seika's head throbbed and he seethed with the knowledge that his father deliberately hurt him. When he regained consciousness, he fought back the urge to vomit and recognized that he was in the same place where he lost consciousness. He quickly checked his radio and wasn't at all surprised to find it destroyed.

It was chilly, but nowhere near as cold as the place where he had found his father. Pleased that he at least had the clothes for the environment, Seika decided it was time to hunt down his father one more time. He recalled Sagashi said this city had a problem, but he struggled to remember the nature of it. Finally it came to him; there was an evacuation going on, and Sagashi decided they needed to help.

Seika saw that the sun was just rising. People were leaving the city on foot or by carriage. They moved without panic, so he assumed there was no immediate threat. Most carried cases, and some carried children on their backs. He had seen this sort of evacuation before, when people had little time to prepare and grabbed whatever they could. Old and young huddled around the sturdiest, so the line was actually a series of clusters.

Finally, he spotted his father's gray hair. Sagashi was on the opposite side of the evacuees, and he seemed to be directing traffic.

Seika studied the people, a mix of Beigun and Shokei, but what was the lack of fighting and yelling. Had they been spared the disease? Or did something happen in the city that was bad enough to convince them to put aside their differences and escape together? Seika turned his attention back to his father, watching him at work. As ever, Sagashi seemed in command of the situation, taking time to make comforting comments to the occasional passerby. He even pulled a family out of line and rearranged their belongings, making them easier to carry.

After all this time, Seika wasn't sure what to make of his father. Kusa Sagashi always seemed to know what to do, what he wanted and how to get it. His accomplishments were never in question, his manner was above reproach. Even when he was implicated in the Lightning attack on a small village, he had enough supporters within Konoha to buy him time to prove his innocence. So, Seika asked himself for the thousandth time, why couldn't he communicate effectively with his son? And of course, there was never an answer that satisfied the ANBU member.

Seika had lost track of his father, during his musing. He narrowed his eyes and scanned the crowd, hoping to spot his father amid the Shokei and Beigun. A sound caught his attention, and he whirled around to spot his father standing by their two horses. He was breathing hard, but damn he was still good enough to avoid detection.

"We've go to ride, Sei. He said with a look of determination.

"Where?"

"Follow me." He said getting on his hours. Refusing to be left behind, Seika followed. Within seconds the two were on horseback riding to whereabouts unknown to Seika.

"How much longer do we do this?" Seika asked.

It was a look Seika had seen many times before. His father had a goal and was going to accomplish it successful, what lay ahead to be damned.

"This pointless running around, darting from problem to problem. You can't solve them all, I told you that. You told me this was getting too big even for our team."

"But I also said I was going to find Hyosetsu." Sagashi reminded him, sounding more confident that he had before.

"Where?" Seika repeated, more forcefully this time.

"Into the city, about half a kilometer up?"

"How'd you find him in a city emptying out?"

"His picture. Asked people as they left. Took awhile since it was just me but I got it done."

"Did you ask the peace officers for help?"

"They're busy with the evacuation. That's why I need you. We have to go get him and bring him to the doctors."

This was all making sense to Seika, and he was finally feeling like things were falling into place. Something remained nagging in the back of his mind but he wasn't sure if it was a lingering headache or an unrecognized problem.

"Rather than explain what was happening, you cold cocked me, so fill me in." Seika insisted. "And don't leave anything out." Seika saw to it his voice was officious and all business indicating to his father there would be total honesty on this point.

"The people who spotted him last saw him by a bar. They described it to me. We'll head on by and survey the scene and then make a plan. But I figure time is of the essence."

"Hasn't it been that way since Hyosetsu broke containment?"

Sagashi, typically, said nothing.

Minutes later, they arrived in the area.

"No people around. He's not going to outrun us. We can get to the roof, come downstairs and grab him." Sagashi was quickly assessing the situation, reaching conclusions as fast as Shikamaru would under the same circumstances.

"And we have no way of calling for any help should he walk out while we're on the roof."

"We'll just have to do this quickly." Sagashi said with his first genuine smile in the last few hours. And there was the face of his father, the one Seika remembered when they were hiking or camping. For a brief moment, Seika felt lik he was ten again and the world offered him hope.

They reached the building and leapt onto the roof. They found the door that led into the building and entered it. It took less than two minutes for them to make their way down the stairs and to the rear of the bar. They emerged into a large storeroom with case upon case of liquors from around the world stacked haphazardly.

Sagashi gestured to Seika, signaling everything seemed clear. Seika nodded in return and they headed for the door that would bring them into the public portion of the place.

For a bar, it was exceedingly quiet. On the other hand, the city was in the process of being evacuated. Still, Seika expected some people to fortify themselves with some liquid protection so he expected something, even if it was music from a speaker.

Seika took point, accustomed to leading missions. He placed his left hand flat against the swinging door and tested it. There was no resistance so he took one deep breath and pushed it open, quickly stepping into the bar.

There were polished angular bars with attached stools and booths outlining the room. But no sound. No movement. Seika's eyes scanned the room and saw that past the twin bars was an adjacent room with tables, chairs and a slumped figure. He pointed to the doorway and silently waved his father to follow.

Hyosetsu, test subject for the greater good of the Sunset Country, was in a drunken stupor, half leaning atop a short round table. Four bottles of Saki were stacked by his arms. A loud snore signaled he was asleep and Seika let out his breath and grimaced at the sight. HE didn't have to be a trained tactician to understand that this was a man who drank out of guilt, to wash away sorrow for something that was not at all his fault.

"What do we do with him?" Sagashi asked in a whisper.

"We start by not whispering." Seika replied. "Then we haul him outside to the horses."

"Do you have a destination in mind, son?"

"The capital, of course. The chief medic is based there. She can begin a workup and then consult with Hanako."

Sagashi clapped his hands together. "You want the arms or the legs?"


	7. Rioting

"We're severely outnumbered." Gintokin said.

Several Shokei started towards the group. Without hesitation, the Konoha ninjas drew their weapons. One of the Shokei stopped, drew a weapon and swung at Kaida, who ducked and came up with an uppercut. The others took on the rest of the ninja team. It didn't take long for the team to take out the small group of Shokei but behind them was a very large crowd of their friends. They were rallying behind their fallen comrades. This was about to become a full scale riot.

Satori looked around at the mob. In his field of vision he saw approaching men, woman and surprisingly, children, none of who seemed anything less than in full fury.

"Break them apart." Satori said. "Slow them down and maybe we can get out of this."

Five people converged on Satori, with his sais drawn he took on the five people. He whipped around his right arm and knocked down one of the women. A roundhouse leg sweep knocked down two more, and a left jab landed on another.

As one of the Shokei ran away, Satori grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him forward into his upraised knee. Another came up and managed two quick punches into his ribs, forcing him to exhale. With cries of rage, they converged on him once more, and this time he dropped into a squat to prevent them from getting a good grip. Quickly, flipping the sais around to use the handles against them, he propelled himself upward, with handles and elbows making contact. The cluster broke apart as he kicked out, knocking one boy over another man.

Sparing a glance, he spotted Junshin taking down a woman while neatly ducking another's punch. Gintokin was flailing with his fists, a veritable punching machine, keeping attackers at bay.

A man ran at Satori with a tool in his fist. Holstering one sai, he used the other to block the weapon, and he grabbed the man by the arm, spun him around and kicking him in the back to propel him away. A woman jumped on his back and Satori reached over his head to break the hold. The woman tugged at his hair and wrapped her legs around Satori's waist for greater support. Satori finally forced himself over, letting the woman's weight carry them crashing to the hard ground. The woman's hold broken, Satori was able to quickly disengage himself and got back to his feet.

"Attack her, she's pregnant." One man yelled.

Satori instantly knew they were referring to Yukino. He turned around just in time to see a man grab Yukino's arms and another come up to punch her midsection. The man cocked his arm back and thrust it forward. It was only inches away when it was pinned to the wall by Satori's sai. The man looked back to see the business end of Satori's foot crashing into his face. The man fell just as another man tackled Satori. They tumbled to the ground, Satori striking his right shoulder hard. He couldn't get his hands free and he was too entwined with his attacker for his feet to do any good. With little choice, he reared back and smashed his forehead protector into the man's nose. He heard cartilage break and the wet sound of blood. He screamed in pain and let go, his hands flying to his injured nose. Satori scrambled to his feet to see Yukino take out her attackers as well.

There were too many people to use standardize weapons such as shuriken or kunai. Plus he was tired of being diplomatic with these people. They had to use their jutsus.

"Everyone use elemental jutsus. Put these people down."

Everyone did their respective handseals to use the elements. It seemed like every element in the book was used. Katon, Raiton, Suiton, Doton and even Futon were used to take out the rioters. For the moment, the rioters left the ninjas alone and allowed them to breathe a bit. For the time being.

Once the Shokei left, it was now the Beigun's turn. It almost seemed as if these people were allowing the other to take turns at the ninjas. It was like a storm. Almost suddenly Satori and his team were surrounded. The Beigun began hurling things at them.

Kaida was several feet away, being attacked with something heavy. She ducked under it and swept a leg to tackle her opponent. Junshin did handseals to do a Raiton jutsu to down the people on the nearby rooftops. Shattered concrete made running tricky as did the lack of lighting, since the nearest light pole had been bent at something like a forty-five degree angle.

Yukino ran over to assist Kaida who now had a much larger crowd around her. Her eyes seemed sympathetic to her approach. Someone ran a hand into her hair and yanked her off her feet. She fell to the ground and tried to get back up, but a booted foot found her hand and grounded it.

"We'll deal with you in a minute." A man snarled and then turned towards Kaida. He withdrew a thin obsidian stick on which he pressed a hidden release. A gleaming steel blade emerged, long and thin but very deadly.

Yukino reacted instantly. With her good hand, she drew a kunai and stabbed it into the man's calf. The man yelped in pain, releasing his hold on Yukino. She then stood up, grabbed the man and tossed him to the ground.

Few had seen the man attack Yukino. They only know that one of their neighbors had been taken down by a Konoha ninja. That was enough to touch off a fresh round of violence and people began pounding Kaida with their fists. She be damned if she didn't fight back.

A woman, her child in a carrier on her back, kicked Yukino in the back.

"What the hell, lady?" She said.

Shock and anger replaced the stab of pain, but Yukino only gripped her kunai tighter. She did not want to react out of emotion, but from need. Kaida certainly had need of her. Fists drove her to one knee and she swung wildly to protect her head. Yukino ran in attacking the crowd with the hope of dispersing the crowd.

Kaida flashed her a smile and then reared back and planted a punch on an oncoming attacker. The man was knocked back and over a fallen form.

Yukino turned her head to see a crowd of people run away from Junshin who had knocked down several people with a Raiton jutsu. They were running blindly, and in their panic they didn't notice the woman who had kicked Yukino, the one with the baby, lying on the ground. She had one arm around the infant, still in his carrier and was holding her ankle with her other hand. She had obviously twisted her ankle. She was going to be trampled.

Yukino began to run toward the crowd but judged she was too far away to reach the woman in time. Instead, she did a few handseals and then slammed her hand to the ground to perform a Doton jutsu.

She caused the ground in front of the woman to rise up and cause the crowd to divide. At first, people ran right or left, away from the newly risen rocks. One man leapt over the rocks, but he caught his foot on something and went sprawling. He fell right on top of the woman and the infant, and all Yukino could hear was the combined scream of man, woman and child.

The man was scrambling to his feet, ready to keep running, ignoring the woman and child. Yukino was already there, her arms and legs spread to prevent the man from going anywhere. She turned her attention to the woman and saw her cradling the child, who did not appear to be breathing. When the jonin reached toward the woman to help, the gesture was greeted with a snarl. Yukino recoiled, then stood for a moment, watching. All other sounds receded and her field of vision was limited to the bodies in her immediate area.

"Is the baby hurt?" She asked in a quiet voice.

The woman did not respond. The man, though, tried to break away, but Yukino grabbed his upper arm and whipped him about, forcing him to look at the woman. Silently, they watched as the woman cuddled the baby, listening for any sign of life. As the woman whimpered, Yukino strained her hearing for any sign from the infant. No cry of pain, no sound of any sort.

"Stupid bitch." The man said to himself.

Yukino snapped. She punched the man in the midsection, knocking the air out of him so that he doubled over. Viciously, she kneed him back up and then struck out again with her fist wrapped around a kunai. The man was quickly turned into a punching bag, the recipient of the bottled up hate and fear that had never truly found its release since the Reaper attack. Every hit, punch and kick was payback for the death of her sister, the angst that Satori went through and for the foolishness of the disease that had driven a country to the brink of madness.

The man was long past being able to defend himself and soon was not even able to call for help. He was limp, taking the beating without any hope of a swift ending.

Yukino reared back for another blow but her small fist was caught in Satori's hand. She squirmed for a moment, then went limp herself, her body falling against her boyfriend's comfortable body.

"I think he paid the price." He said soothingly.

"Is he breathing?"

A pause as he looked over her head at the body on the ground. "Yes."

"Then maybe he hasn't paid the full price." She said between deep breaths.

"I'd say he has. His fall killed the baby, but it wasn't intentional."

"Children shouldn't be out here. No one should be hurt."

"No one's innocent here, no one's blameless." Satori continued, his hand stroking her hair, providing comfort. Yukino heard his heart thumping loudly in his chest, his words softly overlapping the now distant sounds of the riot. She didn't notice that most of the people had been run off or knocked out into silence. Nothing seemed to sink in other than his steady, rhythmic heartbeat.

"The baby isn't the first innocent to die today, I'd like to think he's the last, but I don't' know. We won't know for awhile I guess." He said.

Looking down at the man caused her to feel anger and some shame but then realizing she was in Satori's arms made her feel comfortable.


	8. We're Pulling Out

Seika, Sagashi and the tied up Hyosetsu neared the capital city. No one had eaten, everyone needed a bed and some serious rest.

"I can see a mob." Sagashi said. "We have to break this up."

"No, dad, we don't." Seika said with as much patience as he could muster. "We have to get Hyosetsu to a hospital. We have to tell Aoba-sensei and Hanako everything you know."

"What he said." Hyosetsu said. "Really, if I can help, fine. If I'm to be executed, fine. But I don't need another stop on my way."

"Shut up, both of you." Sagashi said. "We'll stop, contain the fight, and move on. It's what Konoha does, right, son?"

Seika just shook his head. "This has to be the last time." Seika said slowly.

"That's the Seika, I know. You have my back. We just break this up, send everyone on their way and then we can go to the capital."

The trio got off the horses, assessed the situation and the Kusas moved forward as one. Before them were at least two dozen men and women, mixed races, and no one was saying anything intelligible. The fight could have started over anything and Seika was too tired to begin speculating. He wanted to end this quickly and move on. A part of him also recognized he was doing this to help his father's guilty conscience but this seemed trivial. And that was the main reason that this had to be the final interruption. Sagashi was clearly losing the capacity to judge when it was appropriate to get involved.

Seika and Sagashi were a few feet from the closest body and they stared at the tangle. They looked at each other and shrugged simultaneously. As one, they reached forward and grabbed whatever limb they could latch onto and pulled. The tangle was quickly separated but no one seemed happy about it.

"We really have to stop doing this." Seika said.

Sagashi glanced over his shoulder to watch as Seika grabbed a spear from an overweight, older Beigun and used it to trip the assailant to his right. Seika grimaced at the strain on his right shoulder. Here they were, in some small, out of the way community, charging headlong into a melee without bothering to understand the nature of the fight. By now, these people were probably fueled by enough fear and anxiety that it could have been sparked by spilled milk or a man looking the wrong way at another's wife.

All Sagashi wanted to do was separate enough people so that emotions could burn themselves out and things could settle down. The town was too small to have peace officers stationed nearby, which put the burden on Sagashi.

Seika gritted his teeth, jammed an elbow into a charging woman, and swung the spear like a propeller to keep others away. He needed to pause and take a look around him. Wherever they were, it was in the late hours of the night. Dawn would be breaking over the horizon shortly.

People were mixing it up on the main street and several side streets. Sagashi was using his hands to literally lift fighters off one another and push them aside. Women, teenagers and men were in the fight together, creating odd looking combinations. Seika started to lower the spear when he saw one man approach his father from behind, a deadly looking piece of metal in his hands. Quickly, Seika adjusted his arms and released the spear, letting it spin. An instant before the man could swing; the spear smacked him in the back and caused him to cry out in pain. Alerted now, Sagashi turned and used the man's off balance position to know him down.

Father and son exchanged satisfied glances and then resumed their efforts.

"Where are these weapons coming from? I thought this was a residential community."

Sagashi shrugged and reached into a mass of people to pull several apart. He smiled and reached in again.

_He's enjoying this._ Seika realized. His father was really getting some perverse sort of pleasure from doing something that was merely providing a short term solution. While Seika never shied away from a battle, he certainly didn't go looking for one either.

A young girl watched as her father got clubbed to the ground. She shrieked and leapt onto the attacker's back, trying to pull out his hair. A man came to the attacker's defense, reaching to roughly pull the girl off. The father, from a kneeling position, reached out, waving a knife to protect his daughter.

Seika realized this was never going to end without some form of country wide intervention. Still, he felt complelled to save as many lives as he could. With a deep breath, he ran over to the crowd, kicking out to push the intended victim away from the knife. He then reached down and forced the man to release the knife. His booted foot stepped on it, preventing anyone else from reaching it.

"Take your father and go home." Seika ordered the girl. She nodded once and reached to help the man to his feet. Seika was absorbed in the moment, unaware of the sounds around him.

He didn't see men rushing from both sides to come to the downed man's aid. He couldn't see that one man was getting ready to throw a spear directly at his head.

He didn't hear the warning cry.

All Kusa Seika saw was a girl comforting her father as they staggered away. Then all of a sudden he was being pushed to the ground. As he fell, he heard the grunt come from somebody and the sound of flesh being pierced. Then there was a limp form on top of him. Then all he heard were footsteps receding and screams in the night air.

Seika struggled to move the body off him, concerned that there was some out there with a spear, unable to reach his own weapons. He rolled the body off his legs and only then did he recognize his father's body. In a flash, Seika understood that Sagashi had seen his son endangered and hand acted, sacrificing himself.

It wasn't supposed to happen this way.

His father's vacant eyes were dull. There was no peace in those eyes. Just a look of anguish.

Seika tried to control his breathing, assess the circumstances, and act like an officer. But his eyes were wet, blurring his vision.

_Boys don't cry. _His father told him that endlessly in the early years after his mother died. And since then, Seika had not allowed himself tears. He blinked them back, but one escaped trickling down his cheek and disappearing into his clothes.

Seika stood, pulling out kunai and shuriken, ready to take on anyone who came near. He looked around. People struggled here and there, but clearly the worse was over. None came near him, and that was just fine by Seika.

With his father dead at his feet, no way to contact his teammates, and far from the capital, he stood lost and alone.

Looking down at the body and the spear still sticking out of Sagashi's left shoulder blade. Part of him wanted to look away.

_We never resolved this crisis. _Seika thought. _He'll never know how this plays out._ Sagashi's strategic expertise was now lost to Konoha and no doubt would be needed. The world was far from stable and people like Sagashi had to look at the big picture. His father was always looking to the stairs, reading something in their alignment that no one else could fathom. That skill was gone.

A future that might have been was snuffed out in an instant. After so many years of estrangement, the wall between them had started to crumble and let light seep through. Seika had dared to hope. Now it was gone. He was lost.

Seika was so mired in his own thoughts that he didn't register a sunglasses wearing Konoha ninja appearing next to him. It was only after a hand touched his shoulder that his mind came up to speed.

"Seika." Aoba said.

He turned and some how his team leader was there. Seika noticed that a few of Aoba clones were also there. One of them knelt by Sagashi's body and studied it. She focused on the injury and then checked his body for potential weapons or traps. All she found was the spear sticking out of the shoulder.

"Come on, Seika. We're pulling out of the Sunset Country."


	9. Back Home

A FEW HOURS EARLIER

Hanako was in the lab with her clones going over the test results of the new solution. Hanako even had a clone stationed outside in case someone was trying to break in. The clone outside stood in front of the door and looked from side to side. Suddenly, she heard some commotion to her left. She turned her head in that direction and then the doors burst open and a mob of Beigun and Shokei alike came rushing down the hallway. The Hanako clone did a few handseals ending with the Tiger seal.

"Suiton: Mizuame nabara no jutsu." (Water Element: Syrup Snare Field.)

Hanako shot a bluish clear liquid from her mouth towards the mob. Once the mob ran on the liquid, they became stuck and couldn't move. The people behind the front of the mob pushed and shoved, pushing the people into the liquid face first. It was a big mess. With her attention, on the mob, the clone failed to realize someone coming up on her.

The only time she realized it was when something pierced her neck. She disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Instantly, the real Hanako knew what was going on outside. "Shit, we gotta get out of here." She said. At that moment, the door was busted down and ripped from its hinges. One of the clones reacted instantly but grabbing the real Hanako and leaping through a window. The rest of the clones stayed behind to delay the mob.

"They'll destroy everything." Hanako said. Then a few seconds later, she gained knowledge from the clones that disappeared. "Too late, they already did." The clone that was with her also released the jutsu, causing the clone to disappear in a cloud of smoke.

"I need to get to Aoba-sensei." She said landed on the street and broke into a run.

Satori and his group were still fighting the rioters. It was really close combat now. He was doing everything he could to protect Yukino and she was doing everything she could to protect their unborn child. The group was doing everything in their power to keep from being over run. They were even using element jutsus, to keep the rioters at bay.

With the rioters knowledge that the Konoha ninjas were not going to kill them, that gave them an edge to fight harder. Junshin looked over to his right and saw a large mass of people over taking a blockade of peace officers and into another entrance.

"Damn it. We're losing ground here. I just saw another group run through a blockade of peace officers." He said.

They could hear screams, and shouts behind them in the building. Suddenly, Hanako appeared.

"Report." Satori said punching a guy with the handle of his sai.

"They broke into the lab and destroyed all the research."

"Damn it." Satori said.

A few seconds later, Aoba appeared.

"The council is dead. I couldn't save them."

The rest of the team didn't know what to do now. The purpose of fighting was now gone and there was no reason to fight anymore. The Sunset Country was definitely a lost cause.

"Seika is nearby. I can feel his chakra. It's fluctuating as if he's in a battle. I'm going to go get him. Fall back to the border, we're pulling out."

The team nodded. They leapt up on to the rooftops. As Aoba left their side to go retrieve Seika, they stood there and watched the rioters take over the Sunset Country.

Kusa Seika adjusted the collar of his funeral outfit. He looked in the mirror. He liked the way it draped over his chest but not the reason why he was wearing it. He sighed as he tied the forehead protector around his forehead. It was true that he and his father didn't get along too well but he was his father none the less and he shouldn't have died for him. He shouldn't have died on a mission like that. At that thought, he stepped outside and began his trek to the Hokage's office.

Satori and Yukino stood in Satori's room getting ready for the funeral. Just as he tied his forehead protector around his head, Yukino wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. The warmth felt good to him.

"So, you're on maternity leave for the rest of your pregnancy?"

She gave him an affirmative noise.

"That'll be good for you. I know that you're valuable to the team but not in that condition. I was so scared for you during the rioting. I was scared for Hitomi. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

"Marry me." She said.

I can't bear the thought of not having you in my…what did you say?"

"Marry me, Satori. Please."

They broke the clinch and looked at each other; Satori's eyes were filled with astonishment. She took Satori's hands into hers.

"I've seen so many lives lost and so many futures destroyed. I want us to be together and finish what we started back in the cave during that mission. I want to be married to you, Shiranui Satori."

Satori remembered back to when he and Yukino fought The User but in their initial encounter, Yukino was injured and they took refuge in a cave and they pretty much started their relationship there.

"I want to build my future with you, Yukino. You're too important to me to let slip away."

"I'm glad that Hitomi will enter the world soon. If not, who knows what would've happened?"

Satori took Yukino into his arms, all thoughts of the upcoming service banished. All he saw was her beautiful face and multicolored eyes, all he smelled was the soap she loved, all he heard was her breathing, and all he felt was the rapid beating of her heart. He leaned down and kissed her.

"When this is over, we should go look for a ring." Yukino said.

Satori's eyes twinkled and he put up a forefinger. Quickly he turned and reached into a drawer. A moment later, he held out a small wooden box, etched with an intricate design. He dropped to one knee and offered her the box.

"You've been planning this long enough to find a ring?" Her voice was filled with admiration and confusion.

"To tell the truth, Yuki, it's only been on my mind for these last few days. But when Yogensha, Seika and I were searching for Sagashi, we passed a jeweler in a small town. This caught my eye, and I bought it right then and there.

She looked at him, eyes glittering, happy. Carefully she weighed the box in the palm of her hand and smiled. Then she used a fingernail to pry open the hinged lid and studied the contents.

She smiled broadly.

"It's gorgeous."

Quickly she withdrew the emerald and diamond ring, studying the setting. The jewels were set in a three toned golden metal, artfully intertwining."

"And you knew my ring size?"

Satori grinned. "A good Jonin knows all pertinent details about the team. It should fit. Go ahead."

Yukino slipped the onto her left hand and then admired it in the light. Satori stepped forward, took her hand in his and inspected the ring.

"I think it fits just fine." He said.

She didn't reply, just looked up and kissed him.

Seika and Aoba stood facing Tsunade behind her desk in her office. They all stood in funeral clothes getting ready to head to the service. Seika and Aoba were going to escort Tsunade to the service. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Tsunade said.

Satori and Yukino entered. Both were grinning, not something the Hokage expected at a time like this.

_Well, at least it seems to be good news. _Tsunade thought to herself.

"We're not staying long, Tsunade-sama." Yukino said.

"Tsunade-sama we would like to inform you…"

"Don't be so formal." Yukino said, jabbing him with elbow. "We're engaged."

A smile appeared on everyone's faces. Tsunade leapt from her chair and congratulated the couple. Aoba and Seika shook Satori's hand and gave hugs to Yukino.

"Well, when did this all happen?" Tsunade asked.

"A few minutes ago." Satori said.

The Hokage noticed the ring on Yukino's finger. She looked closely at it. "This was certainly fast."

"Satori had it waiting for me. He bought while looking for Seika's father."

Seika gave him a perplexed look. "When did you do that?"

"When we were in Shi?"

"Wow, I didn't even notice."

"Well, I am a ninja and all." Satori said with a grin.

"Are there any plans?" Aoba asked.

"Not yet." Yukino said. "That will come in time. Obviously, we want you all involved."

Tsunade smiled. "Later today, we shall return here for a proper celebration. Does anyone else know yet?"

"No." Satori said.

"We were going to tell the others afterwards." Satori turned to Seika. "We didn't mean to take the day away from you."

"No, it's okay." He said. "Ninjas die everyday. That's what we do. It's an important step for you both so don't worry about me."

"Okay then. We'll see you at the service." Yukino said.

At that, the newly engaged couple left the room. As they were leaving, the Elders came in.

The other three in the room, were not too fond of the two elders.

"Aoba, we understand from your reports that the Sunset Country was a total loss."

"That's right." Aoba said.

"We can't say that that is an acceptable response." Homura said.

"We couldn't do anything about it. It was eight of us against an entire country. We were there for days without much rest and we got our asses handed to us."

"Kusa Sagashi is a loss to our future planning." Koharu said.

"He made a choice, and sacrificed himself for his son. It says a lot about the man's character." Tsunade said.

She saw Seika stiffen a bit.

"It will complicate some of the brewing problems elsewhere. It's nothing that concerns you though." Homura said.

"With all do respect, we've taken the assignments and paid our dues. I would like to think this team deserves better." Tsunade knew that she was going to get nowhere with elders, studying the looks on their faces. "The offhand way, in which you're talking about this team's sacrifices, diminishes their contribution. Ever since the mimic ninja, we've all been suspect. And time and again, this team has risen to the challenge and excelled. They have exhibited superb competence and they have kept working towards a common goal. We did our best in that country and honestly, if it weren't for Konoha's interference that country would still be peaceful. We've lost people along the way, people who believed in the mission. They, if not I, deserve your respect and consideration. It's time for us to return to more strategically vital missions."

The Elders just stared at Tsunade, eyes smoldering. They were either going to give in or bust Tsunade back to a Genin.

Later on, Tsunade stood in front of everyone who attended the memorial service of Kusa Sagashi. Up front was the team that went to the Sunset country. She noticed Seika standing next to Aoba. He wore the mask of the mourning son. From what the Hokage gathered, they were just beginning to speak once more when the tragedy occurred. No doubt this severely complicated how Seika now saw his father.

She pushed back her hair and all eyes turned to her, ready to begin the memorial.

Seika looked to the sky. "Good bye…Dad."

The End.

Next: Naruto Shippuuden: A Time to Kill


End file.
